There are only a handful of Hindi films that capture the lives of widows. It is sad how even in the 21st century, Bollywood is still scared of taking a stand against patriarchal society’s norm that preaches woman’s life is over after her husband’s death. While many still lack the courage to show different dimensions of widows, there are few filmmakers, who boldly kept widows in the lead in their films.
These 9 Hindi movies on widows showed them as their leading ladies & didn’t shy away from focusing on how widows are people with dreams, desires, ambitions, and emotions:
9 Bollywood Hindi Films On Widows:
Pagglait (2021)
One of the progressive Hindi movies on widows, Pagglait touched many hearts! Sanya Malhotra’s power-packed performance makes it a must-watch. The story is about a widow, who lost her husband five months after marriage, but is unable to mourn it in the way society expects her to. Her carefree behavior and ambitions after her husband’s death irk those around her, but she still heads on to do what she wants.
The Last Color (2019)
This 2019 movie is carefully crafted to highlight the friendship between a 70-year-old widow and a 9-year-old flower seller. Noor, a widow living a colorless life of abstinence, befriends 9-year-old flower seller and tightrope walker Chhoti. Chhoti promises hope to Noor as this poignant story of love, friendship, commitment, and victory of the human spirit unfolds on the banks of the River Ganges.
Is Love Enough? Sir (2018)
This movie depicts the forbidden love story of a maid and her employer. The movie revolves around a young widow, Ratna, who is hired as the domestic helper for a wealthy architect, Ashwin, a New York return. They eventually fall in love, but find their relationship forbidden because of the social divide. You can watch it on Netflix.
Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017)
This romantic comedy starring actor Irrfan Khan and Parvathy Thiruvothu is a must-watch. The story is about a 35-year-old widow, who meets a guy on a dating app and then embarks on a world tour to meet his ex-girlfriends and fall in love during their journey.
Ishqiya (2010)
Ishqiya is a dark comedy starring Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, and Arshad Warsi. The movie revolves around a love triangle where the two guys fall in love with the widow of their friend who tricks them into love for the fulfillment of her personal motives.
The Japanese Wife (2010)
The Japanese Wife is a 2010 Indian-Japanese romantic drama film directed by Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen. It stars Rahul Bose, Raima Sen and Japanese actress Chigusa Takaku in the title role. The movie is about an emotional love triangle. The Bengali man and his Japanese pen pal get married by exchanging vows through letters without ever seeing each other in 17 years. Their love story takes a twist when a widow enters their life.
Dor (2006)
This story is about two women who come from different backgrounds and how fate brings them together. Meera (Ayesha Takia), a young woman who becomes a widow shortly after marriage, is trapped by tradition. Zeenat (Gul Panag), on the other hand, faces the daunting task of saving the life of her husband, who is on trial for murder The companionship that develops between Meera and Zeenat results in redemption for both.
Water (2005)
Following the sudden and unexpected death of her husband, a widowed child bride lashes out against her fate in the Hindu ashram where she is expected to atone for her sins. With great performances by John Abraham, Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, Sarala, this Deepa Mehta movie is a must-watch!
Rajneeti (2005)
The political drama focuses on the rise of a widow from a lover to the party head and eventually the Chief Minister of a state. With power-packed performances by Manoj Bajpayee, Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal, Naseeruddin Shah, Ranbir Kapoor, and Katrina Kaif, this movie can be streamed on Netflix.
Do let us know which one is your favourite!